Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Roman Holiday (1953)

Prinsessen Holder Fridag

In Denmark
a republican is something quite different from stateside. It is a person who
simply sees no point in royalty, considers royal weddings, parties and perks a
ridiculous waste of money paid their royal subjects who have no other benefit
than a real life glamour show. Essentially an anachronism that has outlived itself
and now only survive to feed pictures and stories to women’s weeklies. I am
such a person.

I make a
point of avoiding movies featuring princes and princesses, especially those
movies with a pink hue around the characters and the few times I have seen such
trash I have struggled with gagging reflexes. It is just not my thing.

But I loved
“Roman Holiday”, unabashed and completely.

This is
feel good cinema of the very best kind. It is rightfully famous, even iconic
and everybody owe themselves to see it.

For those
few who has not seen it (which would include me until last night) you have to
think something like “Coming to America” without Eddie Murphy. Ah, okay, and a
few other minor details, but it is obvious where the inspiration came from.

Princess
Ann (the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn) of some obscure European kingdom is visiting
Rome as part of a lengthy and tiresome official roundtrip when all the ties and
duties become too much for the princess. She is young and alive, but are not allowed
out of her cage. So one night she runs away into the night of Rome.
Unfortunately for her she had been injected with some sedative so she does not
get far before she falls asleep on a fence by the sidewalk. This is where Joe
Bradley (Gregory Peck) finds her, not recognizing her as the princess. His attempts
at sending her home are in vain and eventually he brings her home to his own
apartment to sleep.

Next
morning Joe discovers that she is a actually the very princess he was supposed
to interview in his function as a journalist and he decides to scoop the world
press with an exclusive behind the scene interview. To this end he needs his
photographer friend Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert). Joe pretends not to
recognize the princess as herself and that fits very well because she in turn pretends
to be someone else. In fact she totally enjoys being out in town incognito,
eating ice-cream, getting a haircut, seeing the sights and Joe plays along. For
a full day Ann is Anya Smitty, an ordinary girl, and Joe is a fertilizer sales
rep taking a day off.

They are
having a blast and it is truly a day to remember. Eddie Albert is the perfect
funny sidekick that gives all the events a roguish twist. Of course they fall
in love, but when the day ends so does her holiday and she must return to her
mansion. Joe refuses to do a story that exposes the princess. What they have together
have become a lot more personal than was intended. They meet the next day for
an official press conference, she a princess again and he a journalist. They
share a long look, a smile and that is it. Theirs are two different worlds and
what they shared is now a fond memory for each of them.

I like
everything about this movie.

Audrey
Hepburn was one of a kind. I frankly admit that when she does that smile I go
all wobbly in my knees and as this caged-princess-discovering-life she is just
perfect. There is an exuberance to her, a lust for life that I feel certain is
not just an act. So is she acting or just being herself? I do not know and I do
not care. I want her no other way. And that haircut makes Audrey Hepburn.

Gregory
Peck is perfect as her male counterpart. He has to be both a fatherly protector
and a roguish lover and I immediately thought of Cary Grant. In fact I later
learned from the extra material that Grant was actually offered the role but
turned it down and good for that because Peck as a Grant-light actually fits
the bill even better. Thinking about it, Ann and Joe could only be Hepburn and
Peck.

Then there
is the tone of the movie. It is light comedy, but it avoids becoming fluff and
it retains just enough tension to keep me on the toes, but must of all it
projects all the joy these two are having in Rome throughout about half of the
movie. This part is no filler, but actually the core of the film. They are
having fun and it is so fun to watch.

There are
tons of clones of this movie, but where this one really stands out is that the
romantic element never goes into pink overdrive. We are not getting the Disney
ending here. As much as these two people share a wonderful day together they
are still rooted in reality. In 1953 this could not be more than a sweet memory,
at least not where the movie ends. We are not forced to believe that one day of
hanky panky leads directly to a big wedding. Something may have been seeded,
but for now she is a princess and he is a journalist. Even throughout the day
there is that underlying knowledge that this only works because they have given
up their identity for a while. It is bittersweet, but it is what makes the
story work.

Finally
there is Rome itself. You could not have asked for a better set. I have been
there twice and I have seen all these places, but they never looked more
beautiful and romantic than here. There are times where famous locations feel
forced into the story, but not here. Rome is a very natural setting for this
picture. And yes, I am going to Italy this summer.

I knew “Roman
Holiday” is famous and I had a feeling I would like it simply for the fact that
it features Audrey Hepburn (oh dear, my knees again…), but I had not expected
to be blown away. This is not my kind of movie, this is the stuff my wife
watches, but I really loved “Roman Holiday”.

10 comments:

Even for Republicans and republicans, Audrey Hepburn is just plain irresistible! Her glow makes every movie but this one has that special Wyler touch as well. The only time I have a little trouble with Audrey is in My Fair Lady. But that's only because she was obviously born a princess and not a guttersnipe.

This really is not my type of film, but I loved Roman Holiday.I was completely won over by this movie and I can't say one bad thing about it. Audrey Hepburn just had a magical presence in this movie that has no equal. I loved Peck and Albert, as well.

Also, I really appreciate the ending to this film. I was surprised, but I feel too often films give us endings that they think people want, not what goes with the film. I like that this film respects the audience and this is certainly one of the best romantic comedy/dramas I have ever seen.

Disclaimer on spoilers

If you have not seen these movies yet you may want to skip out on reading these commentaries. I am rarely holding back from revealing details from the movies that a proper review would hide under a spoiler tag. The reason is that these are not really reviews, but just my comments on the movies and some of the details which are most interesting to comment on are exactly the parts which will spoil the surprise if you have not seen it yet. So be warned.

About Me

In 2010 I started the project of gathering and seeing the 1001 movies listed in "1001 movies to see before you die". This is a blog to allow me to comment on them.
I am married with a son and geologist by training. Since 99 I have worked as a wind engineer at EMD (www.emd.dk) where I mostly work with wind studies and noise.